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Geneva English School now offering secondary education; adding new school in September 2017

Dispatches just got an email/news release from Geneva English School about a big expansion.

GES’s brand new international secondary school in Geneva, Switzerland is scheduled to open in September 2017, a new chapter in the school’s 50-year history of progressive learning.

159-568f8218246beGeneva English School, which has provided international primary education,  has begun offering what Americans call “highschool” classes, and Europeans term secondary school, with plans to add a new state-0f-the-arts building.

From September 2017, places will be available for Year 7, 8 and 9 children (those aged between 11 years old and 14 years old), with the school expanding an additional year each academic year.

Adding secondary education means a dramatic changes, according the release.

Creating a new school from scratch means the environment will be “totally fit-for-purpose for secondary students today,” according to the release.

ges-dirk-jan-postel-tim-meunier-2

DIRK JAN POSTEL, LEFT, A PARTNER AT KRAAIJVANGER ARCHITECTS, AND TIM MEUNIER, GES HEADMASTER.

Renowned Dutch educational architect Dirk Jan Postel, a partner at Kraaijvanger Architects in The Netherlands is designing the interior environment.

Previous educational design projects of note by Postel include British School of the Netherlands Junior and Senior Schools, American School of The Hague Early Childhood Centre, Aletta Jacobs College, Almere Art School, Voorlinden Museum, Amsterdam Art Centre, and C2C Lab.

From the release:

“In contrast with the school of the past (with classrooms along a corridor), we are creating an inspiring atmosphere with contrasting elements suited for different functions: soft and quiet; technical and dynamic; primitive and raw; sophisticated and refined,” Postel says. “The space should not only teach the children knowledge, but enable them to co-operate, be creative in a group, and learn how to learn.”

The new school will be three kilometers from the original school though there is an interim space on the main campus for an initial group of Year 7 students, according to the release.

A single secondary classroom contains tessellating tables to optimize different learning opportunities; from individual work, to small or big group collaborations. There is also “The Cube,” a snug “room-within-a-room’” for quiet relaxed study and discussions, plus a white-wall (an entire wall-and-floor-whiteboard) allowing for
the sharing of ideas and learning in an engaging, “think-big” way.

“This is a room built for good teaching,” stated GES Secondary Maths teacher David Flynn in the news release. Catherine Peart, who is leading the learning of English for the secondary students adds: “Even as an interim classroom, this space is so functional for learning. It enables teaching and learning that doesn’t waste time, that gives lots more options for the way we go about the learning, that engages the children. It’s fantastic having a new, purposely designed space for children to learn.”

Geneva English School is one of just a few schools worldwide accredited by both the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) and by the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS), according to the release.

Pupils in the secondary tracks will work towards the IGCSEs (International GCSEs) at Year 11. “The English National Curriculum and its qualifications are recognized by the best universities around the world,” says GES Headmaster, Tim Meunier. “Combine these qualifications with inspiring, collaborative approaches to learning within a state-of-the-art environment and with the GES ethos at the core, and we absolutely believe we can succeed in developing individuals who are ready to embrace tomorrow’s world.”

Families who wish to view the space for the new GES Secondary, meet the secondary teachers, and visit this year’s interim secondary learning environment, which provides an idea of what the new school will be like, should contact Stephanie MacDonald, Head of Admissions.

The details:

• More than 280 students between 3 and 12 years of age attend GES at its current 19th century estate home in the suburb of Genthod, learning from the English National Curriculum augmented with a strong focus on French.
• Geneva English School was established in 1961 and has, until this year, provided learning for early years and primary children only. Throughout the last 50 years, it has actively worked
to maintain its small school ethos, limiting its intake of students to ensure that the personal and academic development of every individual child is met.

  • Fees (2016-17 academic year): CHF 1,500 non-refundable registration fee; CHF 4,000 non-refundable capital development fee; CHF 3,000 tuition deposit; CHF 8,600 – CHF 27,990 annual tuition fee, depending on grade level
  • Requirements: Complete and submit application form with required fees and documentation
  • Application Deadline: N/A; contact for information because there will be openings with the new school
  • Contact: [email protected]
  • Website: www.geneva-english-school.ch

Email:
[email protected];

Tel: +41 22 775 04 40), or visit the school website.

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